In vitro Activity of Garlic (Allium sativum) on Some Pathogenic Fungi

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the in vitro antifungal activity of garlic (Allium sativum) on some pathogenic fungi.

Study Design: This is a comparative evaluation report on garlic as an antifungal agent.

Place and Duration: Department of mycology, Veterinary Research institute, between June-October 2013.

Methodology: Samples of garlic were obtained from a local market. It was thoroughly, cleaned, peeled and pulverized. Aqueous and organic extracts of garlic were obtained by maceration and Soxhlet extractor apparatus. The methanol and petroleum ether extracts were tested against Candida albicans, Aspergillus, Curvularia and some Dermatophyte species using cup diffusion and agar incorporated methods. Diameter of Inhibition zones of growth were measured in millimeter (mm) and expressed as Mean ±SD.

Results: The obtained results revealed that aqueous and petroleum ether extracts possess the stronger activity and a broader fungicidal spectrum against tested fungi compared to methanol extract. The study also showed that the dry coarsely- powdered garlic was found to be more potent to Candida albicans than the commercial Nystatin.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated the potent activity of garlic against tested fungi which encourages its use as a suitable alternative drug for controlling fungal infections because it has far less risk of side-effects than most known antifungal drugs and it can be used indefinitely in quite large amounts. Therefore, adding garlic to food (raw) or crushing and swallowing raw cloves which are cheaper is recommended as a powerful anti-fungal agent. Further purification and formulation of the garlic would give a true antifungal activity comparable to standard antibiotics.